SharePoint As Network Shared Drive: How To Get Users To Use SharePoint as SharePoint

Question

We're facing a problem where users aren't using SharePoint as SharePoint - they get a site, then they use explorer view to drag a bunch of folders/ files into "Shared Documents", they add a few people and that's it. No usage of Calendars, metadata, discussion boards, workflows, etc. In essence, they receive no benefit over using a network drive.

We've tried to combat this by:

1. Making potential site owners watch tutorials and complete practical tests to make sure they can use metadata, etc.
2. Creating a tutorials site with a lot of video tutorials (>100) accessible to everyone, as well as podcasts etc.
3. Offering SharePoint education sessions: quick lunch and learns as well as involved full afternoon courses
4. Establishing governance on how SharePoint is to be used (collaborative environment, 'living' documents, etc).
5. Periodically trimming (deleting or archiving) old content

Try as we might, there are many, many people who just pump 'n dump some documents in via Explorer View and don't use any other aspect of SharePoint.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't get them to drink. How are you getting your horses to drink? (The SharePoint Kool-aid)

Answer 1

Your focus shouldn't be on getting people to use SharePoint as SharePoint, because the goal shouldn't be to use SharePoint.

Instead the focus should be on helping the users getting their business problems solved. Some of these problems may be solved by using SharePoint as SharePoint in which case they should have help doing that. If you keep focusing on helping the users solve their problems and hopefully are able to show them that a lot of it can be done by using SharePoint, then at some point some of them may start wanting to explore/extend SharePoint themselves, at that point you should be ready to give the guidance and help.

Answer 2

Here are some other ideas you can use to increase SharePoint usage:

0) Force the users home page to go to the portal via group policy (you will see why below)

1) If you can get upper management to use it, then the rest of the crowd will be more willing to use it: See if you can convince upper management to use an Announcement list that goes out to everyone's email instead of a direct email employees. Put this announcement on the portal home page. Everyone will see the announcements because of step 0 and once this happens over time, they will grow accustomed to this.

2) On this same home page - talk to the human resources and public affairs people to keep fresh pictures of employees or local org events on this page. Sometimes an employee of the month, or employee spotlight. Highlight people doing good things in your organization and keep the content fresh. Ask managers to highlight the people doing good things and getting recognition among their peers. Change the story every week or so. People will read this because if step 0 and you will have a backlog of stories because everyone wants their people to be on the front page.

3) Get your portal site structure and global navigation to mimic your organizations org chart. The closer you can do this, the more sense your site will make to people and they will start navigating to other areas and checking out content. Keep on top of this every month - users hate to see stale links or an old group name. Don't be afraid to archive content that isn't used anymore and get rid of the old names. Because of step 0, they will likely want to see what is new areas of the organization they care about.

4) Take advantage of the social pieces : presence, My Sites. If they are forced to go there with step 0 - they will see who else is there or was there recently. You can make a nice knowledge base of employee skills with the My Sites. Also with correct clean active directory, you can have your employee org chart display on the my sites pages. Pass the digital camera around and make everyone put their picture up. The helps people put faces with names.

5) There are ways to change desktops to search SharePoint using connectors. The more people search your portal, the more they will find on it and return to it in the future. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff899315.aspx

By forcing them to go to the portal throughout the day (searches, browser home page, notes from management) and keeping the content fresh and relevant, the users will get used to going back and eventually will contribute to the kool aid party.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

As Per Jakobsen said, you should advertise SharePoint as their answer to the business problems. But furthermore, find ways that will make SharePoint look attractive by showing them that SharePoint can centralize data, keep it safe and cost effective, and easy to use.

You don't want to wow them with all the features SharePoint has to offer until you connect with them on how they can use it. Most users won't see the connecting dots until you explain how to connect them. Don't tell them what SharePoint can add for them, but tell them what SharePoint can solve or simplify specific business processes.

What has worked for our company is designate SharePoint delegates that act as SharePoint content owners in each department/division, that will help others to get on board. Train them fully and get them excited about SharePoint. They might see a problem that SharePoint can solve better because they will know how the dept does its process.

Have you established a successful navigation tree?

Answer 4

Oooops, guys, are you serious in discussing how to hate IT and and IT-related professions?

It is not the IT personnel that invent unwarranted and unasked things and impose how to make happy others, it is managers on the basis of business analysis (with the help biz analysts) and underlying biz processes and discovered necessities decide what IT workers should implement and support as well as stipulate what their subordinates use.